Heero's Peace
by Stella
Summary: Heero tries to find peace within himself by finding his past - at the same time, the colonies may start fighting and Relena clings to life...
1. Heero's Peace

Heero's Peace - Part 1  
  
Disclaimer: No, I don't own the rights to these characters or Gundam Wing. They belong to Bandai and Sotsu in reality. I painfully acknowledge that. If I did, though, there would be a slew of series or movies. But at least we can do a few stories! This is my first fanfic and I really want to know what you all think of it.  
  
AC 198 - The Sank Kingdom  
  
He stepped backwards to mask himself better in the shadows of the great auditorium. He stood in the back where there was little chance of someone noticing him. He couldn't let her see him, he had made certain that she would not. After all, he had spent the better part of a year lurking and hiding in the dark. Far enough away, but never too far, he had watched her and guarded her. But she never saw him and he had taken great pains to ensure that. If Heero Yuy was one thing, it was thorough. So he stood there, still a soldier without a mission, watching the girl on the stage looming in the distance at the end of the huge room. She seemed a million miles away.  
  
Relena squinted out into the audience of diplomats, secretaries and officers. She could make out only outlines of people in their seats; the lights were so bright and blinding in the stage. As the crowd settled she sipped the glass of cool water from the table beside her to try to relieve her dry mouth and dizziness. Shouldn't she be used to this all by now? She glanced down at her notes and forced herself to calm down and clear her mind. Her courage came flooding back to her and she found her voice rising from the strength of her convictions to promote the ever fragile peace. 'So very fragile,' she thought as she began to read the words on the cards before her. After her first few sentences she didn't even need to look at them. "The reason why I have asked you to join me here, ladies and gentlemen, is for the sake of all of us. Our loved ones, our homes and for the generations to come. I ask you not to derail the peace that was so hard to attain. The lives that were sacrificed and the pain suffered by millions built a foundation that we must not take for granted. It has come to the attention of several representatives that a number of colonies and supply satellites have become involved in heated disagreements, even going so far as to threaten to halt communications between colonies and earth. We must not allow history to repeat itself. The colonies not communicating is a leap back in time. I ask you all not to throw away this peace."  
There was murmuring and shifting in the seats of the audience, but after a moment, Relena continued, "That is why I have asked you all here to earth. Tomorrow at noon a forum will be held for all colony representatives and labor leaders to voice their grievances and we shall all work together to form a solution so that no further damage occurs. I thank you for your attention, and I will see you all tomorrow. Good night and thank you."  
Sounds of light applause and muffled conversation accompanied Relena's ascent from the stage. Heero. stepped out of the shadows and craned his neck to get one last look at her. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a man lurking in the shadows just like he was, but across the hall. 'Strange,' he thought, and noted that the tall man wore a long coat and seemed to be regarding him as well. He couldn't make out the man's features so he decided to go and get a closer look. Seconds later, Heero had placed a light blue baseball cap over his unruly brown hair, and with a sigh he shrugged his shoulders, put his hands in his pockets and started to cross the room. As he whirled around to head for the opposite wall, he nearly bowled over a very surprised Quatre Winner.  
  
  
Meanwhile, Relena was cornered by reporters and a number of politicians all trying to get her attention before she'd managed to take two steps away from the stage. They shoved at each other, fighting to fire their questions at her.  
"Vice-Foreign Minister Darlian, what's your plan to resolve this dispute between the colonies and satellites? "  
"Miss Relena, do you think this will lead to fighting in outer space?"  
"Miss Relena!"   
"Vice-Foreign Minister!"  
"Miss Darlian!"  
They all shouted, trying to drown each other out.  
"Please. I'll have comments tomorrow. I have said all that I have to say for tonight." They parted to let her pass. As tired as she was, Relena didn't feel like going up to her room. She looked towards the refreshment tables, noting various leaders and high-ranking officials. She returned a few polite nods and waved, and smiled a fake smile or two while looking around for a friendly face. She waded through the sea of voices, shuffling feet, clinking glasses and rustling gowns. Maybe half searching for him, like she did in any crowd. But then something in the distance caught her attention. There was no mistaking the platinum blond hair of Quatre Winner. Upon seeing him she felt the sharp twinge of guilt, thinking of how she had missed his wedding four months ago. Having just finished making all the arrangements to get to his colony, she was called away when the first dispute broke out between two colonies and a supply satellite - in the opposite direction. His new wife seemed like a lovely person ; she was a girl he had met at school while he was here with Heero three years ago. She was a duchess from a country not far from the Sank Kingdom. Relena recalled seeing her, but never had gotten a chance to really befriend her.   
She walked a little faster, having spotted Quatre - and who was he talking with? She picked up her pace even more, but when she was almost there, she saw one of her aids headed straight for her, paper in hand. "The agenda for tomorrow's forum, Miss Relena. Will you please take a moment to review it?" Letting out a long breath, Relena took the sheet of paper and began to read.  
  
  
"Heero! I thought that was you Heero!" Quatre beamed at him. "It's good to see you!"  
Giving a quick glance to the side, he noticed the man was gone. Heero hastened a reply. "Quatre," he said nodding, giving no hint of emotion in his voice or expression. "It's good to see you, too," he continued in the same tone. With that he began to walk past Quatre to leave.  
"Don't go yet, Heero!" Quatre said, a little more loudly than Heero would have liked. This time Heero glanced over his shoulder, his expressionless face began to betray his agitation.  
Thinking for a moment, Heero said in a quiet voice, "I heard you got married. Sorry I missed the wedding."  
"I didn't know where to find you to send an invitation, still I hoped you'd come just the same."  
"That your wife?" asked Heero gruffly, nodding in the direction of a petite young woman with long black hair who was laughing with a group of older, very well dressed women.  
"Yes, that's Luna," smiled Quatre, unable to conceal his feelings of adoration when he looked at his wife.  
Heero stole yet another nervous glance behind him; Quatre, getting curious, made a deliberate move to look around Heero. He saw Relena almost instantly. "Have you talked to her at all, Heero?" he asked quietly. To Quatre, Heero's lack of reply meant that he hadn't. "She waits for you, Heero." said Quatre reverently. "I know you think you're not worthy of her, but I know she doesn't feel that way. If anything she needs your strength. Let her know you're near." Heero seemed to consider this, but for just a moment. Suddenly he gave a quick start and spoke in a low whisper.  
"She can't see me. I'll find you later. By the grove of trees at the east wall." He moved deftly past Quatre and out of sight. Before Quatre could bat an eyelash, Relena was standing almost where Heero had just been.  
She looked very worn out, but still very pretty in her royal blue gown. Joy shone through her eyes as she greeted him warmly. Finally, a reason for a genuine smile. "Quatre!" He gave a slight bow and glowing smile to her. "I'm so glad you're here! And I'm so sorry about missing the wedding, I so had wanted to be there. My thoughts were with the two of you."  
"I know, Relena. Luna's here, too by the way. We wanted to come and lend a hand to the colony negotiations. Fortunately I haven't had any problems yet. We can't let peace slip away over a few petty arguments between officials and labor bosses. We've seen it happen before."  
Relena nodded in agreement, "Thank you, Quatre, so much." At that moment, Quatre silently pleaded, 'Please don't ask me if he was here. The truth would be painful and I don't have it in me to deceive to Relena." No sooner had it crossed his mind, then she, as if reading his thoughts and choosing to defy them, asked the question.  
"Who were you just talking to, by the way?" Quatre took a deep breath and frantically searched for excuses, or the courage to tell the truth, but his wife saved him.  
Luna Winner came to stand beside her husband, slipping her arm through his.  
"Darling!" A very relieved Quatre greeted his wife. In return, she gave him the smile that she reserved only for him.  
"How lovely to see you, Miss Relena!" Luna said.  
"Likewise, Mrs. Winner, smiled Relena. Her heart leapt at the happiness she saw in the two of them. "Thank you both again for coming to earth."  
"We were more than happy to come, "Quatre's wife replied. My dear husband's colony is wonderful and outer space is breath-taking, but I long for the earth. My country is not far from the Sank Kingdom, if you remember."  
Relena was just about to reply that she did remember, but another aid came rushing up to the three of them. "Excuse me, Miss Darlian," the aid panted. "I'm afraid that one of the representatives from colony L1 and a supply satellite boss have started arguing. I think your presence is required to help them calm down and wait until tomorrow to voice their opinions."  
Hurriedly, Relena made her apologies to the Winners and followed her aid quickly across the vast hall. 'L1 - Heero's colony,' she thought. 'I wonder if he's there right now - and if he ever thinks of me.'  
  
  
Heero stepped out into the cold night and headed east. He stayed in the shadow of the buildings great pillars. That had been too close and that man in the shadows made him uneasy. He would have to go back in and risk her seeing him. He still couldn't face her. Was he really so unworthy or just a coward? He, who fought countless battles and offered up his life more times than he could count? He, who had faced death and even welcomed it? 'I have put myself in front of legions of mobile suits, lasers and guns - all classes of killing machines. Yet I cannot speak to her.' He was too tainted by the blood on his hands and constantly haunted by the hundreds of souls he had dispatched to the great beyond. He was a broken killing machine. "She waits for you, Heero." Quatre's words haunted him as much as the ghosts in his mind.  
He found a bench in the grove of trees and sat down, lowering his head. "Why? Why does she wait for me?" He hadn't realized he's said the words aloud. But it was Quatre's voice that replied.   
"She loves you. As you love her. You know it, Heero." He was alone, his wife had gone to their room when he said that he needed to speak to an old friend.  
He thought about his friend's words. 'Can I love?' he wondered. Often times he didn't even feel human. Duo had pointed that out for him countless times. "There's a soul in you somewhere, Heero. And a good soul. You have to find it." Heero continued to regard Quatre in silence.   
Finally, he spoke. "I have to find it. Find where I came from. Quatre..." He turned his face towards his friend.  
"I'll help you, Heero. What do you know about your past?"  
Heero didn't have the chance to answer, if even he wanted to. A loud noise shook the building, followed by frightened screams and people running. A member of Quatre's guard bolted in their direction. The man, looking very much like a frightened animal, caught his breath and managed to gasp out a few words. "Master Quatre!" His tone was alarming. "Please come quickly... a bomb... it's... it's the Vice-Foreign Minister!" The look on the guard's face turned grave.  
"What happened?" Quatre demanded.  
"She's been injured - by the blast, sir.   
Heero felt the blood drain from his face, but somehow he forced himself into a run alongside Quatre. A whole year watching her, he leaves for a moment and disaster strikes. Who would want to hurt Relena? A thousand questions flowed through his mind as he and his friend raced towards the chaos. He and Quatre made their way through the fleeing crowds back into the auditorium. The hall was thick with dust and smoke as they approached the area where dining tables had been set up. What remained were splinters of wood and shards of cloth. There they found a battered Duo Maxwell cradling the unconscious and bleeding Relena. He wore a long coat that was now torn, burnt and stained with blood. He looked sorrowfully up at Heero and Quatre as they stopped a few feet away from him. "I didn't make it in time," he choked.  
  
  
End1 part one - to be continued.  



	2. Default Chapter Title

Thanks to all for their very kind reviews - you're were great to me so I worked really hard to get the next chapter finished. Please R&R, and feel free to e-mail me if you want to talk about things. - Stella  
  
The Formalities: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of these characters. I just love them a lot and thought they should go on.  
  
  
Heero's Peace - Part 2  
  
  
Quatre ran for help as Heero knelt down beside Duo and Relena. "She's still breathing," Duo managed to say. She looked so fragile, as though even the softest breeze might shatter her into pieces. Despite the blast her pretty face was unblemished save for a few smudges of ash and dirt. Heero was unable to find the ability to speak; it felt like all the breath had gone out of his body. He leaned in to get a closer look at her and almost forgot where he was, his eyes fixed on her perfect face, his hand poised to brush the hair away from her cheek. Duo's words snapped him back into the here and now. "God, where's all this blood coming from?" he said as his raised a slippery wet hand. Together, they shifted Relena to her side and found where the damage had been done. The back of her long honey colored hair was soaked in crimson from a bleeding wound on the back of her head. Several serious looking cuts also covered her back and arms, leaving red pools on the white marble floor. "She's lost a lot of blood, Heero." He was still in a state of shock and was able to answer Duo with only a vacant stare. 'This is not happening,' he thought as he noticed that his shaking hands were red with Relena's blood as well.  
Quatre returned with Luna at his side and a group of medics behind him. Three of them ran right to Relena while the rest spread out to attend to the other injured. They rushed past, knocking Heero out of the way, examining Relena and lifting her onto the stretcher all the while bellowing at their comrades that the Vice-Foreign Minister had to be taken to the hospital immediately. "Are you alright, Duo?" Quatre asked, helping him to his feet.  
"Nothing serious," mumbled Duo watching the medics while they dressed Relena's wounds as best they could and made for the door.   
"We'll go to the hospital and stay with Relena." Quatre shouted as he and Luna followed the medics. "Find out what happened, Heero and Duo." His voice echoed in the hall as he disappeared into the night in the waiting ambulance. The siren's wail filled the air, growing fainter and fainter as the ambulance sped away. The sound was barely audible by the time Heero finally said anything.  
"Duo..." he said darkly, looking like he wanted to say more but couldn't manage.  
"I saw you during her speech, too," Duo said, brushing himself off and checking out a rather nasty gash on the back of his hand. His forehead was bleeding as well and a small stream of blood careened down the side of his face. He sighed as he looked at his tattered, blood soaked coat. He threw it aside and began to hunt through the debris, kicking the remnants of tables and chairs out of the way, his eyes glued to the floor. The bomb had gone off just a few feet away, and the blast had scored the white floor with gray and black scorches. Heero dumbly followed him, his eyes on the floor though he had no idea what he was supposed to be looking for. "I thought it was just a rumor, but I came anyway.," Duo began. "I knew it had to be true when I saw them hand that package to her. She set it down and walked away - but it wasn't far enough away. I ran for it, but it just ..." Duo raised his head and fixed his gaze on Heero. "I have to admit I wasn't sure if I'd see you here, buddy. You've been kinda hard to get a hold of. Not that I'm surprised."  
"I've been here," Heero answered quietly.   
"With Relena? Then you two...?" Duo half smiled at him. When Heero didn't answer right away, Duo knew what was coming next.  
"She didn't know I was here." He said it as though he were talking to himself. 'And now she may never know...' He pushed the thought from his mind. He had a mission now. "What are we looking for, Duo?  
"Anything that's left of that package, and we need to track down anyone who had their hands on it before it got to your girl." He resumed picking through the rubble.   
"Who?" asked Heero. "Duo, do you know who did this?"  
"Yes and no. I'd been hearing rumors that there's a new underground militia that wasn't happy with the outcome last year, when we took down Barton and his granddaughter. About a month ago three guys came and bought heaps of scrap metal, everything we had. Not too suspicious until Hilde told me she overheard one talking about getting plans for mobile suits, and getting their men up to space to 'finish what they started.' I didn't want to stir things up making unfounded claims that something was going on. I've spent the last couple of weeks tracking them down. I trailed a guy to an old OZ base yesterday and they were saying something about stopping Relena's forum meeting tomorrow, and getting her out of the way." He pointed to a black eye and smile again. "I. uh, ran into to some trouble so I didn't get the rest of the details..."  
Officers and guards started pouring in to survey the damage and make their reports. Duo eyed them warily, but then he bent down and snatched a ragged piece of paper. "We gotta leave, buddy." He hurriedly shoved the paper in his coat pocket. "We don't belong here and we don't need them holdin' us up for questioning." Heero nodded in agreement, and they left for the hospital to check on Relena.  
  
  
She woke up, but just for a moment. Strange sounds filled her ears, people shouting, steel clanging and the rhythmic beeps of machines. She sensed bright lights, and tried to opened her eyes but all she could see was a fog. The back of her head was throbbing and she started to slip right back into unconsciousness, but someone was walking towards her through the fog. "Heero," she whispered. "Please don't run away. Heero!" The doctors clambored to calm her, but it was unnecessary. Relena lay motionless, lost in a coma, perhaps dreaming of Heero.  
"How is she, Quatre?" Duo asked. Quatre stood in the pale blue waiting room, his arm around a still very shaken Luna. From the look on their faces, Duo figured the news wouldn't be good.  
"She's in a coma, Duo. The doctors just don't know yet; they said thee next 48 hours will tell, but she woke up, very briefly." Quatre paused and his watery eyes looked past Duo and settled sorrowfully on Heero. She asked for you, Heero."  
"I... can I... can I see her?" Heero stammered. 'He must be absolutely heartsick,' Quatre thought. 'Heero never stammers.' A white-clad nurse led him to her bedside.  
"Just for a minute, young man," she scolded. "I'm only letting you see her because Mr. Winner asked personally." Heero approached the bed. He hardly recognized her under the jungle of tubes, and about a half dozen machines whirled, beeped and hummed, singing their sickly symphony.   
"Relena..." he said softly, and gently touched her cheek, as he had longed to do for years now. He was so close to her, after a year of standing so far away. Had she sat here with him like this after the battle last year when he had slept for days? Was this the fear she had felt for him when he was in risking his life in battle? He leaned in closer, avoiding the tubes. His lips brushed the softness of her cheek as he whispered, "You will survive."  
  
  
He returned to the waiting room and found Duo, Quatre and Luna examining the blackened piece of paper that Duo had retrieved from the floor moments before they had rushed out of the auditorium. Apparently Duo had filled them in on everything he knew about the would-be assassins. They all looked up as Heero approached, their faces radiating the sadness he felt. Luna now held the bit of paper and was studying it carefully. "It's the lion crest, from the Kingdom of Lowen. I know it because it lies between my home and the Sank Kingdom." Sure enough, the scrap of paper bore what looked like a postage stamp with a barely recognizable lion's head and coat of arms. Heero could not figure out why this image seemed so familiar to him. 'Must've seen it while I was staying in the Sank Kingdom,' he thought, and dismissed it.  
Quatre stood up to address them all. "I've spoken to Zechs. He and Miss Noin are on their way, but don't think they'll reach us till the day after tomorrow. Wufei and Sally Po are on their way as well. Zechs suggested that we have a look through Relena's paperwork and see if we can get some names and locations. From what Duo told us, she may have had some idea that this was going on. Zechs has called the guards in Relena's home to give us clearance. There isn't much we can do for her here. I've left my own men to watch her room. She would want us to take care of this," Quatre finished. He stared at the floor for a moment, but suddenly looked up to meet the eyes of his companions. "Mission accepted?" he asked, looking at Heero and Duo.  
"Mission accepted," Duo replied.  
"Mission accepted," repeated Heero.  
  
  
The news about Vice-Foreign Minister Relena Darlian spread throughout the earth and to the colonies. It was all the people who were waiting in line talked about. She got very nervous as she heard them, knowing what it meant. He'd go again. More than likely he was on his way already. Maybe he hadn't heard them, but she knew that wasn't likely. He heard everything. If he hadn't gotten the news here, one of those friends of his would come here to tell him, and he'd leave. She crossed the grounds, passing the tents and animals, the dust of the yard billowing in the wind. Her costume made a swishing sound as she walked. "Trowa, are you here? Trowa? Show time in 10 minutes! Trowa?" Catherine peeked around the doorway of the trailer. "Trowa?" She looked around the empty room and spied a piece of paper sitting on the table. She knew what it said before she read it. "Well, at least he left a note this time," she sighed.  
  
  
"She's organized, I'll give her that," said Duo as the four of them began to search through the files. Relena's office was a light and airy room with large windows that overlooked a garden, and farther out, the sea. They rummaged through the cabinets for the better part of an hour finding nothing but meeting records and memos from colony representatives and secretaries. Luna finally stood up and walked to the center of the room.   
Addressing them all, she looked up and said, "I'm beginning to think that she wouldn't put sensitive information like that in her regular files." She looked toward Relena's large wooden desk. There were three deep drawers on either side and a smaller one spanning the middle. The feeling that they were invading Relena's privacy pervaded them all, but after a few minutes, Duo began by pulling out one of the large side drawers. They sifted through family photographs, writing paper, stamps, seals, feeling that the search was hopeless when Quatre found a file on Dekim Barton and the reports on the original Operation Meteor. But that was last year. They had found nothing more recent, and nothing that they didn't know, but Quatre set the Barton file aside anyway Heero stood up and moved to the drawer in the center, finding it locked. He gave a sharper tug, but it still wouldn't give. Scanning the desk for keys and finding none, he advised everyone to stand back. He gave the drawer a forceful pull, and the wood cracked and splintered. A pile of papers flew out and floated gently to the floor. They all knelt down and began looking through them.  
"Reports from Wufei and Sally," Quatre announced. "They'd been sent to a supply satellite in the L cluster to investigate sightings of unregistered mobile suits.  
"Is that where we should go? wondered Duo out loud.  
"I don't think so," said Heero, holding a small file folder. They gathered around him and read the lone sheet of paper that was in the folder. It was an intelligence report dated earlier that day. It was comprised of just a few cryptic words, but it was enough.  
"Lowen Faction confirmed. Possible HQ at 112 Oleander. Arms and mobile suits. Please advise. General Hydek."  
"We have to get to the country of Lowen!" said Quatre, his expression was fierce, "And whatever is starting has to be stopped." The three men headed quickly for the door leaving Luna to pick up the broken drawer and the other papers.  
"Wait!" she called out. They stopped, all looking at her questioningly. She held a small envelope at arm's length. "Heero," she said in an unsure tone, "this is addressed to you." Heero walked slowly back towards her. She met him halfway and handed him the letter. The envelope was covered in pale blue flowers, sealed, with just his first name written in Relena's hand on the back. He stared at it for a few seconds, the room deafeningly quiet. everyone's eyes were on him. He tightened his grip on it and quickly moved back to the door, rejoining Quatre and Duo.  
"Let's get ready to leave," Quatre stated, "Luna's going back to the hospital to stay with Relena. Duo, you need some fresh clothes, and we have to do something about that hand. I'll contact Zechs and Wufei and let them know where we're headed. I think it's best if we go by train so we can sleep. Heero, we'll meet you at the station in an hour."  
With that Heero was left alone, letter in hand. He wandered down the dark corridor, headed nowhere in particular. He came to a deserted sitting room at the end of the hall where the moonlight shone through a large window, lighting up the room and hall before him. He walked to the window, staring at the moon's reflection on the sea, and his eyes moved to the sky and stars. He thought back to the first time he'd seen the night sky from earth. That was the day he had first seen her, when she had found him on the beach and he had run away from her... the first time he had run away from her... Fate kept putting them back together, so why did he fight it so?  
He studied the letter in his had, turning it over an over, searching for the courage to open it. What did she want to tell him - what on earth could she possibly want to say to him when he'd left her so many times? Taking a deep breath he turned it over a final time and slipped his finger under the flap, tearing the paper gently.  
  
End chapter 2 - more to come  
  



	3. Default Chapter Title

As requested, here's the third part. Gracious thanks again for all the reviews, you're all so good to me. I think there will be 2 or 3 more parts to the story, so I hope you're in it for the long haul. DON'T WORRY - All shall be revealed. As always, please R&R. Thanks! Stella  
  
Formalities: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of these characters. They belong to someone who infuriates me because they won't make another series! So I wrote my own.  
  
  
Heero's Peace - Part 3  
  
  
  
A door slammed and he looked up from the envelope, startled. He heard footsteps. Someone was heading this way. Heero looked longingly at Relena's letter and tucked it carefully inside his jacket, safely over his heart. He moved against the wall as the sound of footfalls grew louder. He felt for the gun he had tucked at his waist. A shadow crept along the wall, getting ever closer. Any second now! He whirled around the corner, gun in hand. Quite suddenly he realized he was staring down the barrel at Trowa Barton. Trowa looked at him calmly, never flinching, and put his hand on the barrel, lowering the gun. "Hello, Heero," Trowa smiled.  
  
  
The train station was empty save for Quatre and Duo when Heero and Trowa arrived. They greeted Trowa happily, and with great surprise as Heero looked on. "Everyone was talking about Relena, and the circus isn't far from here right now," he explained. "I figured you could use all the help you could get."  
"You figured right, buddy," Duo said, slapping him on the back. "You up for a train ride?" Trowa nodded affirmatively and the four friends boarded the train headed for Lowen. They settled at a table in the deserted dining car.   
"So what do you know about this country?" Trowa asked as they sipped hot coffee.   
"Not a lot," Quatre answered. "It's been a kingdom without a ruler for about 15 years," he continued. "As far as I know it suffered the same fate as the Sank Kingdom when the Alliance was taking over. Now that all of the countries have been restored to their original rulers, with all of the royal family dead, they have no one. It's a protectorate of Sank Kingdom right now."  
Heero pulled out his laptop and started typing mechanically, pulling up reports on the bombing that had been filed by the guards and officers "Says here that none of the witnesses recognized the men who delivered the package to Relena." He continued to scan the screen.   
"They were probably just couriers, but we can't take any chances," said Quatre as he pulled out the file folders. He opened the one containing the intelligence report. "We have to find General Hydek," he said.  
Heero replied with more typing and soon had an answer. "General George Hydek of the Sank Kingdom guard. They're stationed at the embassy in the old royal palace." He turned the screen around so that the rest of the group could see the information and photo of the general. He looked to be a sturdy man in his fifties, with a gray streaked beard and kind blue eyes.  
"Seeking him out should be our first order of business when we arrive," said Trowa. The rest nodded in agreement.  
Duo chimed in, "But for right now, I vote for sleep. I've had kind of a rough day, if you know what I mean." He stood up and headed for the sleeping car, stretching and yawning. Quatre and Trowa stood up to follow suit.  
"Are you going to bed, Heero?" yawned a sleepy Quatre. Heero just shook his head in reply. "You'll be all right? Well, good night then."  
When he was left alone, Heero looked sullenly out the window at the passing darkness. The experience of the train ride at night reminded him of the shuttles to outer space. He felt inside his jacket and took out Relena's letter. He looked at it trying to decide whether or not he wanted to read it, more like whether he could bear to. His head ached so he leaned back in his seat. His muscles relaxed and with the monotonous clack of the train on the tracks it was not long before he was overtaken by darkness and she was with him, the sole light in the sea of black. Relena sat in her garden, dressed all in white, holding a red rose. He walked across the grass, stepping over flowerbeds to join her. She wasn't facing him, but she turned around when he sat down, and just stared at him. He looked at her face, noticing that tears were starting to roll down her cheeks. He gently wiped them away, and she smiled at him weakly. She leaned over, touching her cheek to his. He felt her mouth move, and the warmth of her breath as she whispered, but he could not hear the words she spoke. She sat back, and continued to regard him as if she was waiting for him to reply. All he could do was just stare back. She looked so sad. Finally she held out her hand and offered him the red rose. He hesitated, as she continued to look at him imploringly, tears welling in her eyes once again. She kept her hand outstretched, waiting...  
"Stop number five! Lowen!" Heero's eyes snapped open and he gave a start as the train began screeching to a halt Light streamed through the windows and he realized that he had spent all night in the dining car. 'That dream. Relena.' He looked down and found the letter still clenched in his hand. He still hadn't read it, but he returned it to his jacket pocket, his mind still on the dream. His palms were sweaty and his face was so hot that it burned. He kept seeing the image of her offering him the rose...  
"You're up, Heero. Duo and Quatre are already in the station." Heero gathered up his laptop and followed Trowa off the train. He glanced out the window and saw the bright pavilion on the train landing of Lowen. The same lion's head and crest was carved over the entrance to the station. That image again, that lion's head. He could have sworn he'd had dreams about it. 'Dreams...' His thoughts drifted back to Relena. He and Trowa met up with the others by the phone booths.  
"Luna says that there has been no change. Relena's still in the coma," Quatre told him as he hung up the receiver. Duo was on another phone assuring Hilde that he would be home as soon as he could. Heero swallowed hard and stared blankly at the ground. As hard as that news hit him, he had a mission to accomplish and that was what he had to focus on right now. When Duo had finished talking, they began the walk toward the embassy, as the palace was visible from everywhere in the town. It sat at the crest of tallest hill, pristine white towers spiraling into the sky. They had gotten only a few steps from the station when a black limousine pulled up beside them. The window rolled down and a young man dressed in the white of the Sank Kingdom guard looked them over quickly, and then glanced down at a piece of paper.   
"Heero Yuy, Quatre Winner, Duo Maxwell and Trowa Barton?" They nodded as their names were read off. "Zechs, er, Milliardo Peacecraft informed us that you'd be arriving this morning. We've been waiting for an answer from the Peacecrafts on what actions to take here. You, gentlemen, must be our answer. Allow me to offer you a ride." They climbed into the limousine and answered the young officer's questions about what had happened to Relena and how she was faring. "It would be a terrible thing to lose her," the officer said, shaking his head. "By the way, I've not yet introduced myself. I'm General Hydek's assistant, Lieutenant Marius Kahn." Marius continued to eye this group of fellows. They looked even younger than himself and wore no uniforms. 'How on earth could they possibly be able to help here?' Regardless, he treated them politely, as an officer should. 'Mr. Peacecraft must know what he's doing,' he thought and led them through the palace halls to the general's office. "I'll inform him that you've arrived; please wait here."  
Heero had felt uneasy since he'd reached this country, and the feeling had only increased as they followed Marius through the corridors of Lowen Palace. There was something so familiar, yet terrifying. At first he thought that he was apprehensive because of Relena and this new threatening faction. Though that was a large part of it, something else was still getting to him. So they sat and waited for the general, he and Duo seated behind Quatre and Trowa in large leather armchairs. The office was an expansive room with ample wood paneling and tall windows that reached floor to ceiling, bordered with ornate carvings stretching out on the beams and moldings. A massive marble-topped desk sat before them covered in papers and ashtrays containing numerous cigar butts. At last the General entered the room from a side door, walking briskly and carrying a few papers and a cup of coffee. He looked up to note his guests, his eyes darting from Quatre to Trowa to Duo, and finally resting on Heero. That's where they stayed as they grew larger and the expression on the man's face made it look as though he'd been shot with an invisible gun. Hydek froze, the coffee cup dropped and crashed to the floor while the papers flew out of his hand and floated around him giving the effect that he stood in the center of a mad flock of birds. The other three pilots looked from the general to Heero and back again, but no one said a word. General Hydek looked as though he were about to faint, his face ashen and his large hands trembling, when he miraculously regained use of his legs and walked past them all, stopping right in front of Heero, staring. Heero stood to meet his gaze, and the general finally spoke. All he said was, "Odin."  
  
  
"Roger that and I'll let him know. Thanks, Sally." Lucretzia Noin punched the button that ended the communication and queued up the screen to find Zechs.  
"Sally says that they've confirmed a half dozen mobile suits hidden in mine shaft C59 on this resource satellite. She thinks that they're variations on the Aries; Wufei's checking them out right now. No sign of any guards. No resistance."  
"Good and bad," he responded from his own mobile suit. "We have to find the people who are responsible for this." He looked down as if he was finished, but he raised his head quickly. "Noin, any word on my sister?"  
"I'm sorry, there's been no change," she responded sadly. 'Pull through, Relena,' she prayed silently. Zechs only nodded.  
"Please contact General Hydek and have him inform Quatre and the others that we've stopped to investigate L1."  
"Very good, sir," Noin replied and closed the screen, while Zechs began making his way to the specified location on the satellite. He landed and entered the mine shaft, going down what seemed to be an endless tunnel until he saw them. The small ship that Sally Po and Wufei Chang flew had fit easily into the massive cavern. Wufei was busy inspecting one of six suits as Zechs brought his own to a halt and disembarked. Wufei jumped down to report his findings.  
"They're Aries, made of mismatched parts, but complete suits nonetheless, with full weapons. This is serious."  
Zechs looked around and noticed Sally walking towards them. "No sign of anyone, sir," she said. "The scanners on the ship showed no signs of life." She no sooner finished speaking then a massive explosion shook the cavern, showering them with rocks and dust.  
"You two leave. Now!" shouted Zechs. "I'll be right behind you. I'm going to destroy these suits first." Another explosion rocked the mine shaft and Sally's ship started up, racing for the entrance. Zechs climbed into his suit, making for the entrance as well, turning back only briefly to send missiles into the line of unmoving Aries, watching them burst into flames and fall.  
  
  
"You're making a mistake," Heero said flatly, staring up at the general. George Hydek simply shook his head.  
"You wear the evidence on your face, boy," he said. "Especially in your eyes. Your father's - the blue Lowe eyes. In all my years I've never seen another pair of eyes like that. You are Odin Lowe, Jr." The general seemed to feel better having said this, and he retreated to the chair behind his desk, his gaze never leaving Heero. Duo, his mouth still agape and showing no signs of closing, glared at the general, and back to Heero.  
"I come from colony L1. I have no father, no family. You're wrong, General." Heero bristled at what Hydek said next.  
"You were lost. And you're right, you have no father. He died sixteen years ago like so many other good men at the hands of the Alliance. You're mother, too. You were nearly three years old when they charged me with seeing you safely to a hiding place in one of the colonies. Our escort was attacked, most of my men killed when we reached L1. We searched for you over a year, but eventually gave you up for dead."  
Quatre had never seen Heero look the way he did right now. Was fate seeking to break him, giving him all this on top of the thought of Relena weighing on him? Heero shook from head to foot, pale, his face drawn in anger. He walked over and brought his hand down so hard on Hydek's desk that the marble cracked. "YOU'RE WRONG!" His voice filled the room. Hydek pressed a button on his intercom.  
"Kahn, please join me in my office." The Lieutenant stepped through the same side door, and the general turned to him. "Please take these three gentlemen to 112 Oleander, tell them everything we know. This young man and I have some issues to discuss."  
"Yes, sir," Kahn replied as he lead Quatre, Trowa and a still gaping Duo through the door, leaving Heero and Hydek.   
Heero's mind raced. 'Dr. J had always just referred to him as "boy." He'd never known he had a real name. He never asked questions like how he came to be with Dr. J, or on colony L1. A soldier doesn't question.' Hydek resumed staring at him, and Heero continued looking ready to kill. The general's hard face softened and he looked piteously at Heero. "Listen, young man. I wouldn't lie to you. I grew up with your father, I was there when he left to go east and marry your mother. She was the youngest princess of Dori, a small nation of Japan." Hydek moved out from behind the desk and stood beside Heero. I was there when you were born, and when your father and mother returned to this kingdom to rule after his brother had been killed. I was there when your parents died, too. Odin was the brother I never had." He gripped Heero on the shoulder. "Come with me. I want to do a blood test, for the sake of absolute certainty." Heero followed. Surely the blood test would prove that this foolish man had no idea what he was talking about.  
  
  
Quatre, Trowa and Duo followed Marius Kahn silently, still steeped in disbelief. Finally Duo spoke up. "We come here on a mission, and he finds out he's royalty! Maybe I'm an archduke!" he growled, shaking his head. Quatre turned around, and the four of them stopped at the end of a long corridor.  
"Duo, Heero knows nothing about his past. This could help him, if it's true."  
"In the meantime, "Trowa added, "we have somewhere to be."  
"It's best if we go on foot. I must change into civilian clothes, please wait here," Kahn said. As he walked to his quarters he silently wondered, 'Is that what Peacecraft meant to send us... the lost King of Lowen?'   
  
End Part 3 - more to come  
  
  



	4. Default Chapter Title

Hi! Thanks so much to all of you who keep reading - and even more thanks to all who reviewed (you make my day, you have no idea!). Anyway, I'm keeping it going, so enjoy and please, please let me know what you think! Cheers! - Stella  
  
Formalities: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of these characters, la-la-la...  
  
Heero's Peace - Part 4  
  
  
"DNA confirmed, sir - he is a match for both Odin Lowe and Akashi Dori Lowe." General Hydek took a deep breath as he nodded. He knew that without the benefit of a test, all he had to do was look at the boy.  
"Thank you, Langston. He's waiting in my office." The general turned to walk out but paused and said, "I think I'd better take those reports with me. He'll want to see the proof." He walked out, lab papers in hand. He had waited nearly 16 long years, never giving up the secret hope that Odin's son was alive. He should have been prepared for the boy to have no memory of this kingdom or his family. The poor lad just stumbled onto his destiny and now his whole life was going to change. The general stopped as he passed a large set of carved oak doors. He figured that young Odin, or Heero as he called himself, could wait a few more minutes. He pushed on one of the massive doors and searched for a few minutes until he found what he wanted.  
Heero sat in Hydek's office; his laptop perched on a corner of the general's desk. He typed frantically, but hadn't found what he was looking for. If he was this Odin Lowe, Jr., a king's son, how is it that there is no information or record of him anywhere. There was nothing on the Lowe family; it seemed as though Lowen's history began only after the Alliance invasion of AC 182. Frustrated, he slammed the screen down and sprung up from the chair. He should run and get out of here. He could slip out unnoticed - maybe he'd have to knock someone unconscious and steal a uniform, but it's not like he hadn't done that before. He still had his gun... More than anything he wished Relena was there. She would know what to say - what to do. "I can't rule some country," Heero said to himself. He stared out of the window that looked over the town and half-heartedly crafted a mental escape plan, but he couldn't make his legs move to act on it. He heard a door open and close and the sound of the general's footsteps walking towards him. 'Maybe the test proved him wrong,' thought Heero, who still didn't bother to turn and acknowledge Hydek's entrance as the general walked to his side. Instead, a folder was shoved under his nose. He reached up languidly and opened it. The papers had hundreds of slashes and numbers and he paged through them finally reading the match confirmation on the final sheet. Feeling strangely numb, he lowered the folder and looked at the tall graying man standing beside him. Hydek patted him on the shoulder and handed him a rather large and dusty leather-bound book.  
"I thought you would want to see these," he said kindly. Heero opened the book and two faces stared back up at him. One was a smiling, square-jawed and slightly older version of himself with the same hair color, skin tone and cobalt blue eyes, only those eyes twinkled happily. Seated next to the man was a very pretty young woman wearing a pale blue-flowered kimono, her delicate face glowing as her slender hand showed off a large sapphire ring. "Your parents," Hydek said in the same kind tone. "Odin and Akashi on their wedding day. You resemble your father greatly, but I can see your mother in you as well." Heero's eyes were transfixed to the page. 'Mother and father. I had a mother and father...'  
"Would you like some time alone, son?" Hydek asked. Heero gave a slow nod, and the general quickly obliged. Heero walked slowly back to one of the overstuffed leather armchairs, never taking his eyes off of the picture.  
  
The old tunnels that ran under Lowen Town were cold, dank and damp with slippery walls and even slicker floors. Duo's mood was getting continually more sour as his feet went out from under him for about the fifth time. Trowa caught him by his shirt collar, nearly strangling him, but at least preventing him from hitting the ground. "Thanks, buddy," Duo mumbled, thinking that if he still had Deathscythe, he could have just blown up the place by now instead of spending twenty minutes freezing and falling on his butt. Their guide, Lieutenant Kahn, finally stopped in front of a murky looking grate. He pried it off the tunnel wall and climbed in, motioning for the rest of them to follow. They crawled a few feet through and equally slimy passage before coming out in another set of tunnels. Marius turned to his three companions and pointed to a dimly lit portion of the new tunnel.  
"They're storing their guns and bombs in that direction, and the briefing room is around the corner farther up. Last time I was here I found plans for Aries suits." They crept silently to the first room carved out of the stone. Flashlights in hand they took inventory of several crates of semi-automatic rifles, handguns, bullets and grenades.  
"Quite a stock pile they have here, " said Duo, tucking a newly loaded pistol into his waistband. He pocketed a few grenades, amused by the expression on Quatre's face as he did so. "Just in case," he smiled wryly, walking casually out of the room. They continued down the tunnel to find the briefing room, which was deserted as well. There they found nothing but a table, a few chairs and maps of colony and resource satellite positions.   
"No markings on the maps," said Quatre. "Who owns the house above this place, anyway?" Marius glanced up at the ceiling.  
"Andrew Dorn. He's only recently retired here. He says he was in the oil business, but I did some investigating after word of the Lowen Faction reached us. Turns out we're pretty sure that Andrew Dorn is just an assumed name. We've had unconfirmed reports that he's none other than General Niles Tremen."  
"Who's that?" asked Quatre.  
"Only the man who authorized the invasions of the Sank and Lowen Kingdoms by the Alliance sixteen years ago. He's responsible for the deaths of the Lowes and the Peacecrafts, and probably countless others. He disappeared about eight years ago, when Triez Kushranada started moving up the ranks.He feared Triez for some reason. I know he thinks this is the safest place to be because Lowen has no ruler and he figures that everyone who might know his true identity is either dead or too young to remember. We still haven't been able to connect him officially to any of these illegal arms or the mobile suits. If we could find evidence that he was involved in the assassination attempt on Relena Darlian..." Marius was cut off as a loud "clang" that seemed to come from above resounded down the hallway. "We better go - now. We can't confront them, not yet." The four of them moved silently along the dark wet walls and out the way they came.   
  
  
Upon returning to the palace, they found Heero still in the general's office, pouring over the photo album. He glanced up as his three friends entered, but said nothing. He didn't know what to say to them. Duo was looking over his shoulder at the photos in the album while Quatre and Trowa were standing off to the side. He placed the book on the desk, still open, and looked around at the other pilots. He flipped back to the first page and pointed at the photo. "My parents," he said in a toneless voice. The others gathered around and paged through the album slowly. The smiling faces of Odin and Akashi Lowe greeted them in several pages of wedding photos, followed by snapshots of a tired looking Akashi and a proud Odin beaming at a tiny bundle in his arms. Beneath the photo was a caption that read "Odin Lowe, Jr. - August 02, AC 180 - 8lbs. 2 oz." The photos that followed showed happy family moments; picnics, the baby cuddling a teddy bear, learning to walk, a birthday party. Quatre, Trowa and Duo fixed their eyes on the little boy with the dark brown hair and uniquely blue eyes. It was Heero, no question.  
Quatre turned, wanting to say something to him, but Heero's eyes silently implored him to say nothing. Heero finally found his voice, the soldier in him taking over. All of this was taking away from the task at hand, he told himself. It waited for sixteen years; it will keep a little longer. "What did you find out?" he asked. They looked shocked, first surprised by the sound of his voice, and second by the question he asked. Duo was the only one to see this for what it was, 'Classic Heero,' he thought, and was the first to answer.  
"We found guns, bombs - some pretty serious looking stuff," he said as he laid the pistol and grenades he had taken from secret room in the tunnel on the desk. "There's definitely a headquarters there, or, there used to be."  
Quatre took a step forward, a pained look on his face. He stared at the ground for a few moments and then looked up and spoke. "Heero, it's possible that the man responsible for all this is the same person who commanded the Alliance invasion of Lowen and the Sank Kingdom. The man who... who killed your parents, and Relena's. Probably the same one who wanted to kill Relena as well." He stepped back and bowed his head again. Quatre always hated being the bearer of bad news, but Heero looked typically unmoved.  
  
  
"Sir!" The young man stiffly saluted the tall sixty-ish black haired man sitting by the fire in the second floor office. The soldier was pretty well out of breath, having run all the way to Oleander Court. "Sir, you won't believe this. Odin Lowe's son - he's alive! General Hydek confirmed it with a blood test." The man in the chair quickly leapt out of it, looking stunned and wild-eyed.  
"You're lying to me! Odin Lowe, Jr. is DEAD!" He tightly gripped the young man's throat as he thrashed, gasping for air.  
"Sir, it's true," he heaved. "I wouldn't lie to you, sir. He showed up this morning and Hydek recognized him at once."  
The older man loosened his grip around the young soldier's throat. "Damn Hydek. I was a fool not to have killed him as soon as I got here!" He began to pace the room. "And what of the Peacecraft girl - is she dead yet?"  
The soldier gulped, afraid to speak the truth. "No, sir," he said cautiously. "She's in a coma." He stepped back toward the door, ready to bolt at any sign of agitation showed by the older man.  
"You - go find Hans Yahl and report back to me at once. You are to go and kill Lowe and I want Yahl to get to the Sank Kingdom to make certain that young Miss Peacecraft does not wake up!"  
"Yes, sir!" shouted the soldier, grateful to be leaving. The older man stood by his window looking out into the night sky. 'It's not over yet, Tremen. That other cursed Peacecraft might have gotten a few of your mobile suits, but you're not defeated. Don't loose focus.'  
  
  
Had he really expected to sleep? Heero tossed and turned, finally giving up and throwing the blankets to the floor. He walked over and sat down at the desk in his room where he had placed the photo album. It all seemed too surreal, like a cruel joke. He came here to find a would-be killer, not to be a king. Maybe it was Duo's sick sense of humor and they were all in on the prank, trying to get a rise out of him. He sighed. No, not when Relena was hurt. He rested his head on his hands and thought of her, picturing her face giving him one of the many smiles he had never returned. Suddenly he remembered the unopened letter in his jacket pocket. He reached for it, and this time he tore the envelope open without hesitation. The scent of roses again struck his senses as he opened the pages and was greeted by her neat, regal and looping handwriting.  
  
"Heero,  
  
I suppose I'm writing this more for myself than for you. Chances are that you'll never see it, but somehow I can't help thinking that it might find you somehow, though I might never. There are so many things that I've wanted to say to you ever since the first day we met, but the opportunities never presented themselves. It seemed there were always more pressing matters.  
First, I want to thank you, Heero. Not just for all the times you've saved my life, but for giving me the strength and courage that I would never have found without you. You said once that you were nothing compared to me. Heero, that's just not true. I am what I am because of you. You made me see the struggles of the people in the world and on the colonies, and you made me care. You showed me something in myself that I never would have seen on my own. I learned the meaning of truth and conviction and true selflessness from you, who were willing to give your life for your cause. You inspired me to do no less and to look deep inside myself and find my soul. You have given me more than my life; you've given me the things that I needed to fill my heart. And you, Heero, you fill my heart as well."  
  
He noticed that the handwriting grew a little shakier and ink was smeared and splotched in a few places. 'Was she crying?' he wondered. 'Crying over me?' He continued to read the letter, hanging on every word.  
  
"It might come as no surprise for me to tell you that I wish you would stay close to me. The only time I can feel truly at peace is when you are by my side, and each day you don't come reopens the wound that I bear for you in that place in my heart. Heero, why do you keep running from me? Perhaps if I knew the reason, my mind and heart could be at ease. Is it simply because you don't care for me as I secretly always hoped that you would? If you felt for me even a fraction of what I feel for you, I'm sure you would come. I could never work up the courage to tell you, and sometimes I'm glad I didn't because I might only feel more foolish than I do now. But, I've always wanted to tell you. I love you, Heero. I'm not quite sure when it happened, or where or even why, but I am more sure of that than of anything else that I know to be true in this world. If only you loved me, too. At least I've said it, and for that I can feel some small peace. Just know that I love you.  
  
Relena"  
  
  
Perhaps he would have been more surprised had the day's events unfolded differently. Or maybe he was truly not surprised at all. There had always been that part of him that longed for her, and new that she longed for him as well, but he never could bring himself to admit it. "The only way to lead a good life is to act on your emotions." He said it out loud. But these were not emotions he was used to. He sat there and read her words over and over, "I love you, I love you, I love you," letting them fly through his brain. He breathed in deeply, inhaling the roses. And he wasn't quite sure if he meant to say it or if he ever consciously entertained the thought, but the words came out of his mouth just the same. "I love you, too."  
Heero sat for a few minutes and then reached to turn out the light. As he flipped the switch, he heard the handle on the door to his room jiggle and twist. The distinctive sound of a lock being picked scraped and clicked in the otherwise silent room. Without thinking Heero dashed to his bed and threw the blankets over a couple of pillows. He grabbed his gun and faded into a shadowed corner of the room, behind the door. It creaked open and a black clad figure slipped through it, his eyes trained on the bed. The figure drew a gun, and trembling, he pulled the trigger once, and again, and a third time. A snowstorm of feathers swirled around the room as the bewildered man roughly yanked the blankets back. Heero heard doors slamming and footsteps running down the hall toward his room. The man in black looked franticly around the room for means of escape, but all he saw was Heero Yuy. "I'm over here," Heero said in a calm tone, stepping forward as he aimed his gun at the man's head. The door flew open and Duo, Trowa, Quatre and General Hydek all stood there, looking alarmed and ready to fight.   
The black clad man dropped his arms to his side, giving the illusion that he would come quietly. But at the last minute, he raised his gun and shouted, "ODIN LOWE MUST DIE!" He fired sloppily at Heero, who easily jumped out of the way. The next thing he knew, Heero heard another loud crack and the man in black was sprawled on the floor, Duo standing in the doorway, gun in hand. They rushed over to the intruder who had taken a hit in the stomach. A stream of blood trickled out of his mouth and he looked up at Heero, smiling, "I might have failed, but you'll never save your princess." He was seized by a sudden tremor, and just as suddenly went limp.  
Heero said nothing at first. He stood up and raced around the room, throwing on his clothes. "We have to go back to the Sank Kingdom - they're going to kill Relena!" The rest of the men wasted no time. Hydek called for a plane and the five of them raced towards the Sank Kingdom, hoping they would not be too late.  
  
End part 4 - more to come - please review!  
  



	5. Default Chapter Title

Hi! Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. I worked on Part 5 as much as I could between family gatherings, so here you go. Eternal thanks as always to all who have been faithfully reading and reviewing. Special thanks to Ilya for her great suggestion. Please enjoy and let me know what you think! - Stella  
  
Formalities: I don't own Gundam Wing or any of these characters, and I'm mad as all h**l about it.  
  
  
Heero's Peace - Part5  
  
  
'There is no moon tonight,' he thought as he stole a glance at the sky, 'even better.' He slipped through a side door as a few nurses exited, quickly hiding under the stairwell while pulling out a long white lab coat and fake hospital ID badge. He smoothed the coat and straightened the collar as he the proceeded up the stairs to the guarded ward where the Vice-Foreign Minister slept. He pulled the door closed silently behind him as he entered the long hallway, eyeing the two guards sitting outside the door of room #224, her room. One of the dark-skinned men looked up at him as he stopped at the desk area in the hall, grabbing some charts and checking the computer to make himself seem more like a doctor. As he pretended to be reading one of the charts, the imposter felt for the syringe in his coat pocket. "No one will ever know," he said to himself. "It will look as though she just slipped away. This is my mission and I will not fail." He surveyed the hallway again and felt relieved that none of the night nurses were anywhere to be found. He stood at the desk for the better part of twenty minutes, deliberating about what to do with the guards. The answer presented itself when one of the men stood up, stretching and yawning, announcing to the other that he was going to find some coffee. After the guard had left, the soldier made his move. 'That other guard looks almost asleep,' he thought to himself as he walked towards the room, chart in hand. He quickly flashed the ID badge at the drowsy guard who waved him through with a yawn.  
Her room was dark, lit only with the flashing lights of the machines and monitors. There she lay helpless, covered with tubes and bandages, but steadily breathing. He fixed his eyes on her face for a moment. 'It's a shame, she's awfully pretty,' he mused, but he quickly took out the syringe and unsheathed the needle, giving the plunger a slight push and spurting out some of the lethal liquid. He searched for the IV line, running his eyes from the bag on the pole and following the small tube to the needle in the back of her hand. He held her hand up gently as he brought the syringe towards it. He was so very intent on his target that when the girl in the bed sat up and pointed a gun at his head, all he could do was reel back in surprise.  
"I think your time's up, doctor," she said as a half dozen men came charging through the doors to the hospital room and surrounded him. One of the men went to help the girl off of the bed, releasing her from the tubes and monitors as a long brown braid swung behind him.   
"You all right, babe?" he asked, giving her a kiss as she removed the honey blond wig. She nodded, moving her eyes back to the intruder, Hans Yahl.  
Yahl eyed the rest of his captors nervously, especially the man with the long platinum blond hair and red jacket that stood glowering at him. He recognized him at once and smirked. "Hello, Zechs," he said, trying to seem confident though he was actually stunned. 'How had they known he was coming?' Zechs sniffed and nodded, and before Yahl could flinch, Zechs had rushed him, slamming him against the wall with a hand squeezing his throat.  
"Are you the only one?" Zechs demanded. When Hans Yahl made no attempt to speak, Zechs slammed his head against the wall and growled through his teeth, "Is anyone else coming to kill my sister!" Again, Yahl said nothing. The man with the long braid pushed a chair into the center of the room and Zechs threw Yahl into it, while a smaller fellow, also with platinum blond hair flanked by his two guards and a soldier looked on. Zechs addressed him. "Quatre, will you please go and get Miss Noin? And I'm sure Duo would want you to take Hilde to stay with Relena." Quatre nodded and Duo squeezed Hilde's hand before she joined Quatre at the door. "Thank you, Hilde," Zechs said, his voice full of emotion. Casting a sideways glance at Yahl, Zechs added, "Quatre, I'm certain that Heero - or - Odin Lowe will want to be present to question the prisoner as well." Yahl's eyes widened and Quatre gave another understanding nod as he left, taking Hilde down the corridor. She had shown up last night, wanting to help keep the vigil at Relena's bedside. Zechs and Noin had also just arrived when Duo and Quatre placed the frantic call, alerting them that there was going to be another attempt on Relena's life at any time. They had devised this plan upon their arrival, using Hilde as a decoy. Heero had insisted on guarding Relena personally in a room at the end of the hall, and he trusted the rest of them to do what they had to do. Trowa had stayed to help him, as did Noin and Quatre's wife Luna.  
Heero sat on the edge of Relena's bed, letting himself be as close to her as possible. Noin's heart was breaking for him; she'd noticed that his eyes barely left Relena's face. Luna sat by the window with Trowa close by. The room was filled with an air of apprehension, made worse by melancholy, and no one spoke or even attempted to try and lift it.   
'She's so beautiful,' Heero thought. Had he ever given her a compliment? He didn't think so. He wanted to tell her all that had happened to him; all that he had found out. This was a battle he knew he could not fight alone. He might have been the perfect soldier in an actual war, but Relena was the perfect soldier of the political wars. Now he needed her strength if he was ever going to be the head of a country. He took a deep breath. Everyone knew by now. Duo had told the story to Zechs and Noin and Hilde, who stared back at him in disbelief until General Hydek showed them the DNA results. Heero was a bit surprised that he was actually entertaining the thought of not running from Lowen and his birthright. Some mysterious force now comforted him since he had come to the realization that first, he was the product of love. He had not been created to be the machine that Dr. J had turned him into. After seeing those photographs of he and his parents and the love that shone in their eyes for him and for each other, it was as if a vice had loosened around his heart. On top of that was the fact that he knew with all certainty that Relena loved and wanted him, and that he loved her back. He glanced over at Trowa, remembering that long ago conversation they'd had, when he told Trowa that the only way to lead a good life was to act on your emotions. Heero had felt Relena's love for a long time, but hadn't recognized it as an emotion. To him, it had felt like an attack, so he bristled and fought it. Just then Noin walked over and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He didn't flinch or shrug away as they both stared at the girl in the bed. Their attentions turned as Quatre and Hilde came through the doors.  
"It's done," said Quatre, holding his arms out to his wife as she ran to embrace him. Noin and Trowa walked over to Hilde to ask if she was all right as Quatre explained that the plan had gone smoothly. "Miss Noin, Zechs asked for you to go to him. Heero, he thought you'd like to be present as well for the questioning. I'll stay with Relena." Heero dropped his head, fixing his gaze on Relena's hand. He took it in his own and gave it a light squeeze as he got up to follow Lucrezia. As they entered room #224, they saw Zechs administer a blow to the prisoner that almost knocked him out of the chair he was sitting in. Duo roughly sat him back up, grabbing his hair and forcing him to look at Zechs, who turned around to acknowledge a taken-aback Noin and a scowling Heero. Zechs only grinned and said, "Hans Yahl, meet Odin Lowe, Jr. Apparently your comrade was even less successful than you were. He's dead." Yahl looked nervously at Heero, whose eyes betrayed absolutely nothing. Zechs turned back to the prisoner. "Who sent you?"  
Yahl only smirked again, blood dribbling from his split lip. "You know who sent me. You'll get nothing out of me." With that, Heero flew at him, grabbing him by the side of the neck causing him to let out painful screech.  
"The man asked you a question," Heero said placidly, tightening his grip slightly. Yahl squirmed and screeched again. Noin and the other men in the room just watched, unsure of what Heero was doing but making no attempt to stop him. He twisted his hand and tears started running down Yahl's cheeks. Finally he broke down.   
"Tremen - he's in Lowen." Heero did not let up. Zechs gaped for a moment at the mention of Tremen's name, but quickly tightened his mouth.  
"And his objective?" Heero persisted, adding more pressure.  
"To break down communications between the colonies and control the resource satellites so that the Lowen Faction would alone have access to the materials for mobile suits. No one could fight us. Darlian was the main obstacle." Heero regarded Yahl, but was still not satisfied.  
"How many mobile suits does he have?" The prisoner shot Heero a pained, yet defiant look. Heero responded by twisting the chunk of Yahl's neck in his hand, making the prisoner gasp and bug out his eyes. Duo thought Heero was killing the guy.  
"Three dozen Aries, and the Morning Star," Yahl groaned. Heero did not let up.  
"What's the Morning Star?"  
"A gundam. Tremen built a gundam."  
Heero let go, at which point Yahl clasped his neck and slid off the chair to his knees. Noin, Zechs and Duo were all looking concerned. 'A gundam.' The thought resonated through all of their heads. Yahl stared at them all resentfully, knowing he had failed and fell victim to his own cowardice and fear of death. Zechs ordered Quatre's guards to take Yahl to the holding cells beneath the hospital, which used to be an old military base.  
General Hydek spoke up. "So that's what Operation Morning Star was." He ran down the hall to get a communication to his Lieutenant back in Lowen, leaving Heero, Zechs, Noin and Duo alone.   
Heero looked up at Zechs and Noin, who silently nodded at him. Duo, looking bewildered at the silent communication between the three of them, finally asked what they intended to do about this. "There's no easy way to destroy a gundam," he reminded them. "With all of ours gone..." He trailed of as Heero looked directly at him. The light finally went on in Duo's mind as his whole face betrayed his look of awe.  
Noin was the one to say it. She took a deep breath, "Wing Zero has been rebuilt. We thought it best as a precaution," she announced, but quietly. "Relena knows nothing about it. I'm afraid that Zechs and I were just too jaded by the world to believe that something like this wouldn't happen again." She paused for a moment, looking at Zechs. "I hate being right."  
Duo narrowed his eyes, looking at Heero. "So that's what you were doing here all this year?" Heero nodded, thinking that Wing Zero had not been the only reason he had stayed. Noin broke the silence.  
"I'm going to get word to Sally and Wufei and tell them to check out any leads on Operation Morning Star." She brushed against Zechs as she walked out of the room and he watched her leave. Duo followed her out, but when in the direction of Relena's room to find Hilde, leaving Heero and Zechs alone.  
Zechs silently regarded Heero for a moment. There had always been a strained but evident bond between them, and last night he finally learned what that was. Their families and kingdoms had been destroyed by the same man, leaving them floundering in the world to become the bloodstained soldiers that they were. Only he remembered what it had been like to be a prince, to be Milliardo Peacecraft in those days before the invasion. Heero looked back at him, the unspoken vow to kill Tremen passing between them. "Get some sleep," Zechs told Heero. "We'll wait here for the intelligence reports." Heero bowed his head and left the room. He was in no mood to talk to anyone, so he retreated to the deserted waiting room. As much as he wanted to see Relena, he knew that everyone was gathered in her room and he just wanted to be alone. He plopped down on a sofa and stared blankly at the ceiling. Was he going to pilot the Wing Zero again tomorrow? He let himself feel the sense of freedom that always washed over him when he was in his gundam, but his thought quickly drifted back to Relena. He closed his eyes, and dreamed that same dream.  
Relena was waiting for him, sitting in her garden all dressed in white. The same tears rolled down her cheeks, and Heero wiped them away, just like last time. She continued to look at him, and finally leaned over to whisper in his ear. This time he heard her words. "Please come back to me. I love you, Heero." Again she leaned back and gave him that questioning look, waiting for him to reply. Again she looked sad and offered him the red rose she held, her eyes pleading with him. Heero stretched out his hand and took the rose, seeing her smile.  
"I love you, too," he told her.  
"Awww, that's sweet buddy, but I'm already spoken for!" Heero sat bolt upright, coming face to face Duo, who could do nothing to hide a wide grin that had overtaken his face. Anytime Heero displayed a form of emotion not connected to fighting, Duo took it as a personal triumph, and this was too good. Heero gave him the dirtiest look he could muster, but Duo continued to grin at him like an idiot. "By the way," he smiled, "I thought you might like to know that she's awake." Duo turned quickly, zinging Heero in the face with the end of his long braid, and walked back down the hallway. Heero sat there stupidly for a moment holding his stinging cheek until the words sunk in. He leapt off the sofa and chased down Duo, who had been walking away extra slowly.  
"Is she alright?" Duo didn't answer at first. How is she, Duo?" Tried as he might, Duo still couldn't wipe the smile away.   
"She woke up three hours ago. The nurses kicked us out, but I know that she can talk just fine. Hilde was just in with her. Says Relena's just a little weak and sore, but otherwise..." Duo stopped talking when he suddenly realized he was walking alone. He turned around to see Heero frozen in the middle of the hallway. 'Does he actually look scared?' Duo though to himself as he walked back to his friend.  
Heero stared right past Duo, looking at the door to Relena's room. "I can't..." he said. "Duo, I can't - she can't see... I'm not..."  
Duo's smile disappeared. He'd had just about enough. He picked Heero up by his shirt and pushed him against the wall. "Look here, pal-ee," he said. "I've watched this go on for almost four years. That girl loves you, sorry as you are, and you love her back. Stop torturing yourself - and her. Just go in there. You're lucky she's still here. Now you better go and tell her what you feel." Heero looked back at him hesitatingly. Duo reached behind his back. "Don't make me point my gun at you," he said, tapping it on the wall by Heero's head and starting to smile once again. The look on Heero's face softened as well and Duo loosened his grip, but not before positioning Heero in the direction of Relena's room.   
He'd never felt as nervous as he did when he was opening that door. She looked over to see who had entered and her face froze until she started shutting her eyes and reopening them, perhaps checking to see if she were dreaming. He just stood by the door, taking her in. He would have to leave her in a few hours, get into Wing Zero and fight, but this time was different, and he knew why. This time Heero Yuy cared whether he lived or died.  
  
End Part 5 - Please look for Part 6 to find out how the battle goes and what happens between Heero and Relena, and with the Kingdom of Lowen. And PLEASE review - I welcome all suggestions for the ending.   
  



	6. Default Chapter Title

Hi everybody - sorry it took me a little longer than usual to put this up (I'm moving next week and I have a ton of stuff to do), but I couldn't sleep so here you go. I'm not the greatest at writing about the mobile suits so you'll have to bear with me, but there's finally some Heero and Relena moments that make it all worth it. Hope you like it! Thanks to all who keep reading! - Stella  
  
Formalities and disclaimers, in verse - *ahem:*  
I do not own this Gundam Wing  
The characters or anything  
I have no deals or copyrights  
But this is how I spend my nights  
Writing, typing till the morning  
Please don't sue me, hence this warning  
  
Ok, I'm tired and you get it - here's the story!  
  
Heero's Peace - Part 6  
  
  
It was the most evil looking thing he had ever seen, and it was coming at him from the right. 'So that's the Morning Star," Heero thought after Wing Zero's sensor alerted him to the presence of the enemy. Zechs and Noin were on the resource satellite routing out the remainder of the Lowen Faction. Heero and the other pilots had made their way through all of Tremen's mobile suits successfully, but this was his fight right now. The Morning Star was difficult to see at first against the darkness of space since the gundam was all black, but it was soon very distinguishable by the white pointed ornament on the helm which sat atop a set of glowing red eyes. He sent out a communication signal to the enemy suit, and the pilot responded. "This is General Tremen, as you seem to well know. I will not surrender without a fight. This machine is superior to anything you have, so you best discard your weapons and release my men. The satellite is mine."  
Heero responded, "I am the pilot of the Wing Zero gundam and I am here to prevent you from taking this satellite. Most of your men have surrendered and your mobile suits have been destroyed. I urge you to discard your gundam now."  
Heero did not expect the reply that he received. "It's you then, Odin Lowe's boy. It would seem only fitting that I kill you as well. Who would have thought that you'd survive let alone be one of the gundam pilots. This should prove very interesting." The screen went blank. Morning Star didn't take long to come into to full view, and the first thing Heero noticed was the blazing beam saber in the right hand of the menacing machine, and in the left was the reason why the gundam was called Morning Star. The mobile suit carried a giant flail. It was quickly advancing, swinging the massive ball with mini beam saber spikes around on the large chain that was attached to the rod clenched in it's hand. He'd never seen anything like that before. He studied as much of the gundam as he could, queuing it up on Zero's screens when it was still a fair distance away. 'So it comes down to this: me and the man who started all this madness from the beginning.' Heero turned the Wing Zero to face Morning Star, Zero's angel wings spread out, the beam saber ready. This time he was fighting for more than peace and some ideal, he was fighting for a future with her. His eyes were trained on black gleaming monster headed toward him, his hands were on the controls ready to strike. Heero breathed deeply and strengthened himself with thoughts of this morning - thoughts of Relena...  
  
  
"Heero?" she said, tilting her head to one side, eyes wide in disbelief. Her voice was nothing more than a whisper, hoarse and scratchy from the tube that had been down her throat. He stood at the door looking every bit a caged animal, but he knew that he could not turn around and leave. 'Didn't they tell her I was here?' he wondered, thinking that with Duo's big mouth there was no way that Relena wouldn't have known every single thing that had happened since she'd been unconscious. All he could do was stare at her. She put him at a loss for words, for actions, especially when she looked at him the way she was looking at him right now. Her eyes were filled with tears, but she was smiling. She held out her hand, just as she had in the dream, and he began to walk slowly to her. Every step was an effort and his whole body felt heavy, but he kept his eyes fixed on hers. Finally he stood beside her bed. Something was happening and for the life of him, he had no idea what to make of it. Heero lowered himself to the bed, and she wrapped her arms around him, tears streaming from her eyes. He sat there limply for a moment, then lifted his arms to return the embrace. He was trembling, and only then did he realize that he was crying as well.   
  
  
General Hydek stood in the waiting room with Zechs and the other pilots. All the pieces were coming together now. Lieutenant Kahn had reported back to him that Tremen had boarded a shuttle headed for a resource satellite near colony L1 early last night. This morning Wufei Chang and Sally Po had called in with a lead on Operation Morning Star. Apparently three of the labor bosses that been causing conflicts between colonies and earth were all working for Tremen. It was all part of an elaborate plan to hide the illegal mobile suits and break down the communications so that Tremen's siege would have little or no resistance. The plans for the Morning Star were taken from Dekim Barton before his death; it was the lone gundam that didn't get built at the inception of Operation Meteor because the scientist in charge had been killed.  
Zechs sat with his arms folded and his head down, listening to the information. He smiled slightly, knowing Tremen hadn't counted on having to fight the Wing Zero. He wanted to pilot it himself, to fire the blast that would kill the man who had been the cause of all his pain. At the same time, he thought to himself, 'Heero deserves that revenge every bit as much as I do.' Looking up, Zechs addressed the group. "I want to clear this up as quickly and quietly as possible before gets a hold of this news. Colonies will want to start militarizing on their own and we just can't have that. The situation has to be under control by the time people hear about it."   
The rest of the group nodded in agreement. Trowa looked around the room and finally spoke up. "Obviously Tremen is desperate at this point. Look at all the tactical errors he's been making. He had to have known that people were on to him because it forced him to act hastily and make mistakes."  
Quatre interjected, "So it's best to attack as soon as we can since chances are he won't be prepared for it." Luna looked at him nervously.  
"You're not going to fight are you?" Quatre didn't look back at her right away. He was searching for a way to gently explain why he had to. She glared at him, her eyes begging him to give her the answer she wanted.   
"Luna, I must. If I don't then it might mean an end to peace. If we don't fight now, then we'll have to fight later on. Later on could be much worse." He squeezed her hand, praying that she understood. She simply took a deep breath signifying her acceptance and slumped back into the chair.  
Duo smiled at her, holding Hilde's hand as well. "Don't worry, we won't let anything happen to him." Hilde exchanged sympathetic glances with Luna, thinking that this is how life is when you love a former gundam pilot.  
"When are you leaving?" she asked.  
"I've mobilized the Preventers," Zechs answered. "Noin's making arrangements for mobile suits for all of us, and the engineers are making final checks on the Wing Zero. We should be able to leave in two hours."  
  
  
They held each other for what seemed like eternity, Relena surprised at Heero's reluctance to let go of her. Noin had been the one who had told her everything, though it was Duo who had started it. Relena had listened intently, feeling like she had woken up in an alternate universe. All of the information had yet to sink in. Heero was here, and had been on earth the whole time. He was the lost heir to the Kingdom of Lowen. He had come back to save her from the man who killed their parents. Even with the truth about the Wing Zero, she had wanted to get out of bed and go to him, but the nurses staunchly forbade it, so Duo had gone to get him instead. Now she held him in her arms for the first time in nearly a year, but the strangest thing was that he was holding her, too. They broke apart and Heero eased her gently back down on the pile of pillows. He kept his head down, unable to say anything to her. She put her hand on his cheek, feeling the wetness from his tears. He grabbed her hand and held it there for a moment, finally looking her in the eyes again. "I know, Heero," she whispered. He made a noise that sounded like short laugh. Duo hadn't disappointed him. But there was one thing he was pretty sure that Duo hadn't told her. He took the opened letter out of his jacket pocket and placed it on the bed. She seemed confused at first, but then a look of horror overtook her as she recognized the envelope.   
He studied her face, and managed to ask her a question. Glancing at the letter, he quietly asked, "Did you mean it?" He was still holding onto her hand and he tightened his grip.   
"Yes," she said softly, nodding in affirmation. Relena was being honest but was still unsure whether or not that was the answer he wanted.  
"I'm sorry," he said in what seemed to be his usual emotionless tone. Her heart sank and she bowed her head, feeling the rest of her body go limp as well. 'I'm sorry. That's all he has to say!' So he hadn't wanted her to mean it? Didn't he want her to love him? She felt as though she could scarcely breathe. He seemed not to notice her reaction as he was struggling to go on. After taking a deep breath several minutes later, he continued talking. "I'm sorry that I didn't come to see you all year. But I watched you, everywhere and everyday." The rest of his words had caught her off guard and she lifted her head, her pulse quickening. Heero still looked as though he wanted to bolt from the room, and he, having considered that possibility already, figured that Duo would be waiting out there and just toss him back in, so he had to go through with this.  
"Wing Zero was rebuilt on orders from your brother and Noin. No one wanted to deceive you, but we thought it best you didn't know. The man who hurt you has built a gundam and it has to be destroyed. He's the man who..." he realized he was just running at the mouth because he couldn't say what he wanted to. She knew about all of that; he was sure; the gundam, the bombing, Tremen. Relena watched him, waiting for him to finish his sentence, all this talking was uncharacteristic of Heero. When he didn't say anything else she sat up again and lifted his face so that he was looking at her. "Relena, I..." She regarded him with a look of eternal patience letting him know that she would wait for him to finish what he wanted to say. "Relena, I love you too."  
Despite herself she let out a gasp. Did those words just come out of Heero's mouth? The words she's been waiting to hear for years? She knew he had to be feeling awkward, but she didn't let him turn his face away. Instead she stared right back at him.  
"And I love you, Heero. I always have." He would never forget the way that she smiled at him just then for as long as he lived. And she would never forget that he actually smiled back. He leaned in close, brushing a lock of hair away from her face and behind her ear. He closed his eyes and touched his cheek to hers, just feeling the softness of her skin. He pulled back and they were facing each other, lips practically touching and...  
"Knock - knock," the door opened and Duo was standing there looking every bit the part of the cat who had swallowed the canary. It only got worse when he saw how close they were to each other. Relena blushed deeply and Heero shot Duo a look that might have killed any normal person. "Uh, sorry for interrupting, kids," he said, trying not to laugh. "Heero, we have some things to take care of."  
Heero turned to Relena who sat up as straight as she could. "I'm going with you," she announced, trying to make herself look strong. Three years ago Heero might have told her to do what she wanted, but now there was no way he was going to let her go to outer space. He wasn't alone because not a moment after she spoke her brother and Noin marched into the room and Zechs looked straight at her.  
"You are staying right here!" he said sternly.  
She stiffened and responded, trying to sound commanding with what was left of her voice. "Am I just supposed to stay here in bed while the rest of you go off to outer space and risk your lives? I can't, I'm coming with you. Perhaps there doesn't need to be a battle, if we can talk to this man..."  
Zechs cut her off. "Relena, he murdered our parents, and Heero's, and he tried to kill you twice! If we don't stop him he's going to take the resource satellites and build an army of mobile suits. There will be no talking."  
"I have to try, Milliardo. How many more lives need to be lost in senseless battles? I couldn't face my people or myself if I didn't try to put a stop to this without fighting."  
Zechs looked completely exasperated. Heero knew he would fare no better if he tried to argue with Relena. Just then, Quatre stepped in.  
"She could go to the L1 with Luna and Hilde. My guards will be with them at all times. Relena, you can address the people from there." Zechs shot him a cold look, but everyone else seemed to feel it was a fair compromise.  
Relena agreed and started to get out of bed. Heero had to catch her as she wasn't particularly steady on her feet. He handed her over to Luna and Hilde, saying a silent farewell with his eyes as he left the room. He had to go get the Wing Zero ready.  
  
  
Zero's white wings were fanned out as the engineers made the final modifications. The gundanium gleamed under the huge halogen lights of the hanger. He looked it over as everyone finished with what they were doing. He had personally overseen the rebuilding process all year in this secret place below the Sank Kingdom. "Hello, Zero," he said swinging into the cockpit to do the final checks himself. The engines had been fired up and all systems were go. It was like he'd never been away from his gundam. An incoming call flashed on the screen. It was Noin.  
"We're all set Heero. We'll be flanking the shuttle carrying Relena until it's safely in the colony. The other Preventers will meet us at a rendezvous point between the colony and the satellite." Heero nodded that he understood as the giant steel doors above him opened, revealing a wide expanse of sky.  
  
  
"People of the earth, the colonies and the resource satellites, I am Vice-Foreign Minister Relena Darlian. This message is not intended to alarm you, but it is a warning. A terrorist group calling themselves the Lowen Faction has seized one of colony L1's resource satellites. This group is also responsible for the disputes between the colonies and satellites that have been occurring over the last few months. Our team of Preventers is on their way to deal with this situation and ensure that this group does not succeed in it's misguided plan. Right now I am appealing to General Niles Tremen and his soldiers to discard their weapons and surrender peacefully so that yet another unnecessary battle does not have to happen. I give my word that you will be treated fairly and that no harm will come to you if you abandon your plan now. I also appeal to you, the people, to have faith in the Preventers. They are here for your protection and to preserve the peace. Thank you."   
  
The echo of Relena's words still rang in Heero's ears as he faced the black gundam, ready to fight. He raised the shield to protect himself from the Morning Star flail and braced himself for the impact. Let the battle begin...  
  
  
End Part 6  
  
Sorry, I was just too tired to finish! I promise to get the last chapter up this week. Please, PLEASE review! Again, suggestions are appreciated!  



	7. Default Chapter Title

Hi Everyone! Here's the final chapter to Heero's Peace *sniff*, I'm sorry to see it end. Thank you so much to everyone who kept reading, and for all your really kind and encouraging reviews. I appreciate them more than you'll ever know- you're all wonderful! Kevin, thanks for all your input and suggestions!   
Hope you all enjoy the story! - Stella  
  
Author's note: Because I am the queen of useless facts and a sucker for symbolism, I just had to put this in here. Maybe you already know. The name Odin, as in Heero's "real" name, is based on the chief deity in ancient Norse Mythology. Odin was the god of war and the keeper of the dead, but he was also the god of art and culture, and according to legend, he was the one who gave life and hope to the people of the world, and also gave them their souls.  
  
Disclaimer - I don't own Gundam Wing and you know it!  
  
Heero's Peace - Part 7  
  
Duo Maxwell looked at the surveillance screen inside the control tower of the resource satellite that he and the other pilots had just taken back from the Lowen Faction. He was pretty sure that his right arm was broken from a scuffle with the last of Tremen's men, and blood flowed freely from gash above his eyebrow, but what he saw on the screen made him forget about his injuries and freeze on the spot. Trowa entered the room, but Duo didn't turn around to acknowledge him, he just stared and stared at the monstrosity whose image was being transmitted by a security camera perched on the topmost point of the satellite. Trowa fixed his eyes on the screen as well and studied the mobile suit that was making its way to where the Wing Zero waited. The demon red eyes flashed as it began to swing a massive beam-spiked ball. Zechs, Noin and Quatre joined them in the tower, and became captivated by the image just like Trowa and Duo. The enemy suit was gaining ground and as Wing Zero came into full view, and it was obvious that this new gundam had been built on a larger scale than the others. The dark suit was one and a half of Heero's winged weapon, and the flail it swung was the size of Zero's head. No one could take their eyes of the Morning Star. "Will you get a load of that thing..." Duo mumbled, his voice trailing off as everyone in the room waited for the machines to make contact.  
There was no question that Heero was in battle mode. He had given his thoughts to Relena for a few minutes, letting the memories of her kindness, warmth and love comfort and strengthen him. But now he pushed all those thoughts and emotions deep down inside, as he had done for so many years. The extra weapons he had installed on Wing Zero during the rebuilding process might help him a bit, he thought, but in the end it was going to come down to maneuvers with this enemy. The Morning Star was much larger than Zero, and it seemed to be moving rather quickly for something that size. Heero had never seen anything like the weapon it carried. Duo's scythe had been one thing, a massive swinging ball was quite another. His eyes moved to the circle of light it made as the gundam whirled it around and around, gaining momentum for a devastating blow. Heero raised the shield that he had added just weeks ago as an afterthought, and with Zero's beam saber blazing, he braced himself for impact as he launched himself toward the dark giant of an enemy.  
The collision made Heero grit his teeth as he held fast to Zero's controls. The force pushed both mobile suits into a whirling tumble as they locked swords. They flew out of control through space, the distant stars blurring as the gundams spun. Heero pulled out of the spin and righted Zero before Tremen had managed to get his bearings. Seizing the opportunity, Heero pulled the buster rifle and aimed for Morning Star's flail. He fired but Tremen dodged the blazing light, his suit only having been grazed. The black gundam's shoulder sparked and spurted, but the arm was still operable and the flail began to swing.  
  
  
Images of the battle flashed on the main square's giant news screen in colony L1's biggest city. The media had tapped into the surveillance cameras and queued up the fighting for all to see. Relena was infuriated, hoping that this would not incite mass hysteria among the growing crowd of citizens that had stopped to watch. She looked at the people who stood below in the street - no one seemed to be doing anything, they were all glued to screen. And it was no small wonder that what they saw had stopped them in their tracks. Relena forced herself to look at what was happening. She got weak in the knees at the sight of the evil looking gundam that was launching blow after powerful blow at the Wing Zero. Despite her best efforts, she could do nothing to prevent this fight. The Lowen Faction would not surrender so the Preventers had no choice, and neither did Heero. She watched as he parried successfully with his saber, dodging and blocking, darting his smaller machine artfully around the larger one. The size of the red-eyed mobile suit did not seem to greatly hamper its agility, though. It's shots and blocks were lightening quick, and Relena's heart jumped to her throat a few times as Morning Star's violent swipes almost hit home. She breathed deeply, closing her eyes and resting her head in her hands. She remembered when Heero had gone to fight Zechs to stop him from dropping the battleship Libra onto earth. What had he said to her? "Believe in me, Relena." She spoke her answer aloud as she looked back to the screen.  
"I believe in you, Heero." She clenched her fists, willing herself to be strong. "I do."  
  
  
Tremen's face appeared on his monitor. "You fight well, boy. Ahhh, truly Odin's son, 'The God of War,'" he smirked. If this man was trying to toy with Heero Yuy's mind, it wouldn't work, but he kept going. Heero could see that the older man was looking taxed and tired. Tremen's gundam lunged forward; Heero evaded the swinging ball and landed a blow to Morning Star's torso. He saw the cockpit circuits sizzle as the black-haired general continued addressing him, appearing unshaken. "Yes, he was a fighter, your father, till your mother got a hold of him. She was much like the Peacecraft girl. She didn't understand war." Tremen was searching Heero for some type of reaction. Getting none, he kept going. "He decided to fight anyway, but good as he was he was nothing compared to my army. And after I killed him, your mother gave her own life to save you. Told everyone that you were with her and took off in a shuttle. Naturally I had to shoot it down, you see."  
Heero listened to the general's words, trying to let himself be untouched. He wanted Tremen to stop talking more than anything. "I have no memory of my mother or father," he replied emotionlessly, smashing Zero's shield into Morning Star's shoulder. Tremen only smiled as the screen flickered.   
"So you live in the here and now, do you Odin's son?" he drawled. "Well, then, it might interest you to know that since I've lost my satellite to your comrades, I'll have no choice but to get rid of it."  
Heero eyes grew wide. "What do you mean?"  
"I'm afraid that satellite's going to detonate in a few minutes. Oh, do you have friends there?" Tremen grinned. 'Finally, a reaction from the boy.' The general went on. "And I think that there may be just enough explosives there to blow that pesky little colony right out of space as well."  
Heero felt himself panic for just a split second. "Relena..." he whispered. Tremen was still watching him, and moving quickly, he took advantage of Heero's brief moment of distraction.  
"Oh, is the lovely Vice-Foreign Minister there as well? I dare say this couldn't have worked out better." With that he swung the gigantic flail, the ball sharply hitting the side of Zero's head with a deafening CRACK! The winged gundam sailed backwards as its pilot fought to stay conscious. The Morning Star sent Zero flying again with yet another mighty blow. Heero could now hear nothing but a faint ringing in his ears. There was a fuzzy black haze closing in on his field of vision and he couldn't make his hands move or even feel his body. His eyes darkened completely, and out of the what seemed to be an endless night, a man and a woman walked towards him, smiling, hand in hand. That man, so familiar - his father - his own eyes. The woman. His mother with her long dark hair and pretty hands. She held a red rose... a red rose... a red... "Relena!" He felt as though he were falling through space, faster and faster till he hit... With what felt like a slap in the face he opened his eyes and the sight of the cockpit flew up to meet him. He was still alive. He instantly saw the Morning Star headed straight for him. Without hesitation Heero gripped the controls with all his strength and fired the buster rifle. The roaring beam sliced through the left side of the giant black gundam, completely destroying the half of the suit which carried the deadly glowing ball. Morning Star sparked and fizzed until the glowing red eyes went dim. They were close to the resource satellite now, and Heero could see the mobile suits that the other pilots had used standing on the surface. He turned away from the defeated Morning Star and franticly hailed the control tower. He was met with Duo's bloody but smiling face.  
"Whew! Glad to see you, man! That was some great..."  
Heero cut him off. "You've got to get off of that satellite. Tremen has it rigged to explode. Enough to take out the colony, too." For once, he noted, Duo Maxwell was speechless. "Duo, listen to me. You need to start the rocket thrusters to start getting that satellite as far away from the colony as possible. Then get the hell out of there."  
Duo's eyes widened and he moved towards the controls. "They won't start, Heero. Tremen must have cut the circuits to the engine room." Heero had already landed the Zero on the satellite.  
"I'll be right there. Duo leave! All of you! Now!" He rushed towards the satellite's engine room. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the other pilots, Preventers and even prisoners running for their ships and mobile suits.  
  
  
"Quatre, are you there? Milliardo? Heero? Anyone?" Relena had seen the Zero blast away half of the Morning Star and then land on the satellite. After that the main square's giant screen had switched to images from the colony's own space cameras, and she saw all the Preventers leaving the satellite while Wing Zero stood motionless. Luna and Hilde stood by her side as Hilde tried this time to get an answer.   
"Duo. Please talk to me, Duo! What is going on?" It was Quatre who ended up answering finally. Upon hearing his voice Luna breathed a sigh of relief, but not for too long.  
"Tremen's set explosives on the satellite. Heero's trying to get the engines to work so he can move the satellite away from the colony. We don't know how much time we have left."  
Relena felt a cry rise in her throat but she swallowed it down as Hilde and Luna stared at her, and then at the satellite on the giant screen, in stark disbelief. Relena watched it as well. 'Heero,' she thought, 'I can't lose you now. Not just when you've come back to me.' She felt a tear slip down her cheek. 'I believe in you.' She repeated the thought over and over in her mind. Just then screen showed the satellite's giant rocket engines fire up and it began to move out to space, picking up speed. It moved farther and farther away, but the Wing Zero remained standing motionless on the surface. Quatre, Trowa, Duo, Sally, Wufei, Zechs and Noin burst in the room, having just returned, and immediately stopped to watch the satellite. Everyone saw a small figure rushing towards the lone mobile suit on the surface. He was nearly there when a great burst of flame shot up around the engines, followed by another on the far corner of satellite, sending shock waves that shook the colony. The screen flickered and Relena was thrown to floor as glass and debris flew around her. L1 lurched again as another blast emanated from the satellite. The lights went out as lamps and windows crashed. She heard cries of surprise and pain echo from the streets below as one last tremor passed through the colony. Suddenly everything seemed so still, so quiet. Relena picked herself up off the floor, looking toward the screen which held the grainy, snowy image of a massive flaming fireball. "Heero." It started out as a whisper, but her voice rose as she called out his name. "HEERO!" She could not remove her eyes from the furious fire of the satellite; waiting for some sign of him. Nothing. She began to feel dizzy as she let out a shrill and painful scream. "HEEERROOO!" The sobs were choking her, but she still tried to call for him as Trowa ran to catch her. She collapsed in his arms as everyone else hurried to her side. Relena kept her eyes on the screen, still shaking her head. The seconds drug on like hours as she watched and watched, they all did, but she was the first to see it.  
Wing Zero rose from the satellite, angel wings spread out, the fire and flames dancing and lapping at them wildly. Relena let out gasp, watching the gundam soar up from the smoke and ash like a phoenix reborn. He was alive! He was coming back to her! Somewhere beside her Duo let out a whoop which grew into a chorus of howls and excited cheers from the others.   
Weak as she was, Relena ran with the group to the shuttle bay just in time to see the doors open to welcome the Wing Zero inside. Zechs and Noin stood beside her as Duo took a running leap, propelling himself toward the Zero's hatch. Heero emerged, supported by Duo's good arm, looking barely conscious. Duo eased his friend to the floor, and in a flash Relena was kneeling by his side. "Heero," she held his face in her hands. "Heero, answer me, please." His eyes blinked furiously as though he were trying to will them to stay open. Finally they obeyed and the brilliant blue orbs focussed on her face.  
"Relena," he whispered, smiling weakly at her. Heero raised his hand and rested it on the back of her neck, pulling her closer and closer until their lips finally met in a tender first kiss. They broke apart to the sound of Duo's whistling, Relena embraced him and rested her cheek against his. Heero sighed and nuzzled her neck but quite suddenly, he stopped and his whole body stiffened. Sitting up rigidly he pulled his gun from behind his back and pointed it straight ahead.   
Everyone turned around to see a battered looking dark-haired man walking towards them, also with a gun in his hand. "Just like your father," he said, shaking his head. "He foolishly thought he'd defeated me, too, but then... I killed him. Are you ready to meet him, boy?" Heero moved shakily to his feet, never taking his eyes off Tremen. Relena rose at his side, but he pushed her behind him, shielding her with his own body. "Before you die, answer me one question, Odin Lowe, Jr. Why didn't you kill me out there? You had every right, and the opportunity. Why?"   
Heero took his time answering, selecting his words carefully. "I've done enough killing," he said flatly. "Because of the events you set in motion, I became a machine. I was less than human in the eyes of the men who raised me and made me into their weapon. But now..." he paused, finding Relena's hand, "that's the past. I've learned that wars and conflict only breed pain. I don't have to kill anymore." As Heero spoke, a team of Preventers surrounded Tremen, seizing him by the arms from behind. They began to drag him away, kicking and struggling. With this, Heero put down his gun and wrapped his arms around Relena as they walked over to where the other pilots stood with Luna, Hilde, and Sally. What occurred next happened so quickly, that no one realized what was going on until it was over. As Tremen fought at his captors, he managed to break free. Snatching up his gun, he rushed toward Heero and Relena, aiming right at them. He smiled madly as Heero threw himself in front of Relena and reached for his own gun. Tremen seemed to revel in the look of shock on everyone's faces as he cocked the weapon and began to squeeze the trigger. An ear-shattering "BANG!" resonated through the shuttle bay, startling all those standing by. Tremen stood frozen as he looked down at the patch of red that was oozing through his clothing. His gaze went first back to Heero, but then shifted to the tall, blue-eyed man with the waist-length blond hair who had just shot him. Zechs glared at him coldly, still aiming his gun.  
"Did you forget about me, Tremen?" he hissed. Everyone in the hanger held their as they watched Zechs, waiting for him to shoot again. Tremen again raised the gun, but Zechs was too quick. "This is the last time you hurt my family," Zechs spat as his next shot left Tremen crumpled to the floor.  
"Milliardo Peacecraft," the old general rasped with a smirk, taking in his dying breath. Heero, with Relena holding onto him, walked to the motionless body of the man who had forever changed their lives. Joined by Zechs, the three of them stared down as Tremen's life left him.   
  
  
  
  
SIX MONTHS LATER  
  
Heero heard the wavering of his own voice as he spoke in front of everyone, stealing a glance at all the spectators. 'I've never seen so many people at once that weren't an army,' he thought to himself. The crowd was gathered across the flower-covered grounds of Lowen Palace. A sea of faces looked up to where he stood flanked by the four other finely dressed gundam pilots. The fact that all those people watching didn't really matter, though, because he could scarcely concentrate on anything else but her. He had never seen anyone so beautiful in his entire life. The finely woven veil floated around her cascading golden hair, bedecked with pearls and small white flowers. The delicate silk of her long white dress gently billowed in the light breeze, rustling slightly every time she moved. And her face... she was smiling radiantly at him, trying to fight the tears of joy. As he finished his part of the vows, he watched the way she bit her bottom lip nervously, about to take her turn. The chaplain focussed his attention on her as well, and bade her to repeat after him. "I, Relena Darlian Peacecraft, take you, Heero Yuy, rightfully Odin Lowe, Jr., as my husband, pledging to you my love and eternal faithfulness for all the days of my life. This oath unites both ourselves and our kingdoms, which I swear to honor and defend." Zechs, who had walked Relena down the aisle, smiled and squeezed Noin's hand as the vows were finished.  
The chaplain looked up from book he held in front of him. "The rings, please!" Everyone watched as Duo made a series of frantic, exaggerated gestures, implying he had misplaced them, until an icy glare from Hilde, who stood by Relena, convinced him to hand them over.  
"With this ring, I thee wed," Relena said softly, slipping a band of gold onto Heero's finger. He repeated the same words as he fitted a gleaming deep blue sapphire ring to Relena's. Heero's mother had given Hydek her wedding ring before she died, hoping that her son might someday give it to his own princess. Her wish had come true. The chaplain pronounced them husband and wife, and the crowd roared their approval as Heero kissed the bride.   
The reception lasted into the wee hours of the morning with Duo, Trowa, Quatre, and even Wufei taking turns dancing with Relena. Hilde swore that Duo ate half the wedding cake, and Luna had a little announcement of her own. Quatre was going to be a father. Zechs, with Noin at his side, made a speech welcoming Heero to the family during the toasts.   
As he walked around the reception, Heero surveyed his guests, feeling how wonderful it was to be surrounded by happy people. 'Wufei and Sally appeared to be an item,' Heero thought as he noticed Wufei giving Sally a kiss on the cheek. Trowa and Catherine were present as well, and dancing. Trowa and Duo had agreed to serve on the Sank/Lowen council that Heero and Relena had organized upon the unification of their kingdoms, so Heero knew that he would be seeing quite a lot of the two of them. He found his bride and, stealing her away from her brother, whisked her onto the dance floor, watching her eyes sparkle as he held her close.  
The next day the music had ceased and the palace was still quiet as everyone slept well into the afternoon. Heero awoke to the rays of sunlight shining through the gauzy white curtains of the open window. A rustling noise beside him reminded him that he was not alone. He lay there just watching her sleep for the longest time, replaying all the events in his head that had led up to this moment. He wanted to burn them into his memory so that he would never forget. As he sat there immersed in his thoughts, her eyes fluttered open and after a little while, focussed on him. Relena looked up and smiled, blushing as he watched her. "What are you thinking of, Heero? she asked. He answered with simple smile. He was no longer angry and empty. The ghosts that haunted him had taken flight. Odin Lowe, Jr. would be no god of war, but the giver of hope and the one who returns what is lost, as Relena had done for him. At last he saw himself in her eyes, where all the goodness in his soul reflected back at him. Finally, Heero had found his peace.  
  
THE END  
  
  
Ok, might have been a little sappy, but I couldn't help myself! Hope you all liked the ending - please review!!! I'm thinking of writing another fic series based on this one, let me know if you'd like it to continue. - Stella  
  
  



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